Jewerly in human life have appeared very much for a long time, in an extreme antiquity. 500 thousand years ago on parking of primitive people in some China cave archeologists have found out a transparent crystal of quartz – already then the person collected beautiful stones simply to admire them.
Investigating a life caveman, scientists have learned, that with the first to decorate itself there were men. Certainly, not only to like an opposite floor. Men-hunters ran after talismans – to a bone and canines of the animals killed on hunting, – that new hunting too was successful.
Later as ornaments soft stones which also carried out function talismans began to be used not only bones of the killed animals, but also. With the purpose of protection of a burial place from malicious spirits them put near to died.
The first rudiments of jeweler art have appeared 30 thousand back when the person has mastered the elementary methods of processing of a stone by means of a stone cutter. From smooth stones a sea pebble and cockleshells it did ornaments in the form of necklaces.
Widely to use minerals as ornaments people have begun approximately 5500-8000 years prior to A.D. In the Egyptian burial places of the prehistoric period and an epoch of a neolith the set of various products from a pomegranate, lazurite, amethyst, an emerald is revealed. The part of jewels was extracted on mines. The most ancient mine is on Sinai Island, 3400 years prior to A.D. There extracted turquoise. But people received the majority of semi-precious stones from looses where agate, chalcedony were easily found out such were evident stones as a greenstone. For 2000 up to A.D. at the western coast of Red sea deposits of an emerald have been opened, so-called « save tsarinas Cleopatra ». And for 1000 up to A.D. In the world the Indian diamonds have started to extend. The first Ceylon sapphires and rubies were issued 600 years prior to A.D.
In an antiquity the jewel was not only a material for ornaments, it also carried out function of money. In the different countries this role was played with the minerals, for example in China. A greenstone, and on island Borneo – agate. In a choice of “favorite” stones inhabitants of the different states had own preferences. In Ancient India bright red sparkling stones were highly appreciated, ancient Egyptians preferred green minerals, and on Middle East dark blue semi-precious stones used popularity.
Cut jewels and to insert them into a frame from metal the person has learned enough late. But art glyptic – grooves on semi-precious stones – has appeared already in 4 millennium up to A.D. Assyrians, Acadians, Sumerians, the Egyptian and Babylon masters created amazing on beauty gems – carved stones with images which were used as ornaments, amulets, stamps. On islands of Aegean Sea and in Mesopotamia a wide circulation have received gems with the profound carved images. Themes for figures on semi-precious stones were the various parties of a life of that time, including religion, the literature, theatre, a policy.
The highest skill was reached by jewelers of Ancient Egypt. More than for 3 thousand years up to A.D. They used as raw material for ornaments, press, amulets gold, bronze, lazurite, amethyst, emeralds, agate, quartz, jasper, obsidian. Ancient Egyptian masters skillfully applied methods of stamping, an engraving, and enamel. In the Cairo museum in Egypt it is possible to see the magnificent bracelets found in Josser tombs, the pharaoh of III dynasty lived in XXVIII century up to A.D. The richest collection of ornaments and other jewels from jewels and metals have found out in Tutankhamen tomb (1400-1392 up to A.D.), the Egyptian pharaoh from XVIII dynasty. Here there were subjects from a cornelian, turquoise, lazurite, and chalcedony and also rare beauty a necklace from enormous gold, sardonic and the glass beads, decorated a large suspension bracket from gold.
In Ancient Rome and the countries of the Ancient East rings with stamps from semi-precious stones and precious metals by means of which property rights of proprietors were fixed used popularity.